Combined filling station pump and vending machine



c. WALKER 1,945,372

COMBINED FILLING STATION PUMP AND VENDING MACHINE Feb. 6, 1934.

Filed Aug. 4, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 x M. a J i X z k if; M Z x m 7 1 1 l2 a Q a Z m 1 Z Z MW A 5 T "V J0 w J 2 Feb. 6, 1934. Q WALKER 1,946,372

COMBINED FILLING STATION PUMP AND VENDING MACHINE Filed Aug. 4, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 2 3 nventor attorneys Patented Feb. 6 1934 STATES PATENTOFFICE COMBINED FILLING STATION PUMP AND VENDING MACHINE 9 Claims.

My invention consists in new and useful imrovements in vending machinesand relates more particularly to that type of vending machine shown anddescribed in my former Patent #l,867,429 dated July 12, 1932. As in thecase of my former invention, it is my object to provide a machine whichmay be employed in vending liquids such for example as gasoline, invarying quantities according to the denomination of the ll coin or coinsinserted.

A further object of my invention resides in the means whereby the devicemay be used as an ordinary filling station pump.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention consists in the novel features hereinset forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designatesimilar parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the machine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view in the opposite direction taken on line 33 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the manual control and gaugemechanism, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail of a modified form of my invention.

In the drawings, 1 represents the housing of the vending machine whichis preferably rectangular in shape and provided in its top wall with aseries of coin chutes 2, 3 and 4 adapted to receive fivecent, ten-centand twenty-five-cent coins respectively.

Located substantially centrally of the housing 1 in suitable bearings 5and 6 I provide a rotary shaft 7 which carries an upwardly projectingsegment 8 arranged below and in alignment with the coin chutes justreferred to. This segment may be integral with the shaft 7 or afiixedthereto by any suitable means so as to be rotatable therewith.

9, 10 and 11 represent recesses in the upper face of the segment 8,extending transversely of the axis thereof and adapted to lie normallyin direct alignment with the coin chutes 2, 3 and 4 respectively wherebywhen a coin is serted in either of said slots, it will fall into thecorresponding recess in the segment 8. .In-,

termediate the periphery of the segment 8 and the :shaft '7 I provide aslot 12 which extends through the segment longitudinally of the lattersaxis and is adapted to accommodate a rock shaft 13 pivoted intermediateits ends as at 14 in the slot 12. This rock shaft 13 extends through thecenter of the recesses 9, 10 and 11 and is prefer- 6s ably provided atits pivotal point 14 with a pressure spring mechanism 14a. adapted toretain the rock shaft in any one of its several positions,

' until returned to'its normal position by the means hereinafterdescribed. This spring mechanism may be of any suitable form, that shownin Fig. 1 of the drawings comprising a coil spring encircling the pivot14 and interposed between the vertical wall of the slot 12 and theadjacent portion of the rock shaft so as to constantly exert asuiiicient pressure on the latter to retain the same in any of itsvarious operating positions.

In its normal horizontal position as shown in Fig. 1, the rock shaft 13is adapted to support a coin resting in either of the recesses 9, 10 and11 so that the upper edge of said coin will project slightly beyond theperiphery of the segment. Due to the substantial difference in diameterbetween a ten-cent coin and those of the fivecent and twenty-five-centcoins, I preferably provide an upwardly projecting lug or support 15which lies adjacent the ten-cent coin recess 10 so as to maintain a coindeposited in said recess sufliciently'elevated that its upper edgeprojects above the periphery of the segment as shown in Fig. l. Towardone end of the rock shaft 13 the shaft 7 is provided with a verticallyslotted guide 8a mounted onthe shaft 7.

16 represents an abutment supported by a suitable bracket 17 extendingfrom the top wall of the housing l'g'said abutment being preferablyinclined on its undersurface and disposed adjacent the upper peripheryof the segment 8 immediately in advance of the path traveled by thecoins in said segment in the counter-clockwise rotation of the latter.

It will be noted that when the shaft '7 and segment 8 are rotated incounter-clockwise direction by the mechanism hereinafter described, theabutment 16 will depress the inserted coin and rock the shaft 13 on itspivot 14, and in this connection it will be seen that due to thedifferent elevations of the projecting edges of the coins in therecesses 9, 10 and 11 and the progressively decreasing distance betweenthe coins in the recesses 9, 10 and 11 respectively and the pivotalpoint 14 of the shaft 13, the different coins, when coming in contactwith the abutment 16 will vary the degree of rotation of the rock shaft13 on its pivot 14. In other words, a twentyfive-cent coin in the recess11 will rock the shaft 13 through a greater are than a coin in therecess 10, and likewise a coin in the recess 10 will rock the shaft 13through a greater are than a coin in the recess 9.

Adjacent the long end 13a of the rock shaft 13, I provide a series ofstationary stops 17, 18, 19 and 20 carried by a common supporting arm 21depending from the underside of the top wall of the casing, said stopsbeing arranged in varying spaced relation substantially in the line oftravel of the rock shaft 13 upon rotation of the main shaft 7 so as tocooperate with the end 13a of the rock shaft 13 in controlling thedegree of rotation of the main shaft 7. The stop 17 is arranged adjacentthe normal horizontal position of the rock shaft 13 and thus preventsrotation of the shaft 7 in the absence of a coin in one of the recessesin the segment 8. The stop 18 is spaced from the stop 17 a predetermineddistance so as to obstruct the end 1311 of the rock shaft after it haspermitted the rotation of shaft 7 a distance sufficient to vend aquantity of liquid commensurate with a coin inserted in the five-centrecess 9. In a similar manner the stops 19 and 20 cooperate with therock shaft 13 upon the insertion of coins in the recesses 10 and 11respectively.

Fixed on one end of the shaft 7 I provide a gear 22 which is adapted tomesh with a smaller gear 23 fixed on a horizontally extending rotarysleeve 24 supported at its'outer end in the wall of the casing and atits inner end by a bearing 25, the. outer end of said sleeve havingaffixed thereto a handle 26. A shaft 27 is located within and co-axiallyof the sleeve 21 and extends through the small gear 23, its projectingend carrying a crank arm 28 which is operatively connected to the pumprod 29 of a suitable liquid dispensing or pumping device not shown. Thegear 23 carries an internal pawl or the like 30 (Fig. 2) which isadapted to engage a ratchet tooth 31 fixed to the shaft 27 whereby uponthe clockwise rotation of the sleeve 24 by the handle 26, the pawl 30will engage the ratchet tooth 31 to cause the rotation of the shaft 27and in turn the operation of the pumping device. On the other hand, thecounter-clockwise rotation of the handle 26 will not be effective tocause the operation of. the pumping mechanism, as the pawl 30 will rideover the ratchet tooth 31 without rotating the shaft 27.

On the opposite wall of the housing 1 adjacent the short end 13?) of therock shaft 13, I provide a series of pivoted members 32, 33 and 34 eachof which is provided with a notch 32a, 33a and 34a respectively, saidmembers being arranged in the path of movement of the end 131) of therock shaft and constructed and Weighted so that they automaticallyassume by gravity the positions indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings,after the end of the rock shaft has passed by during the rotation of'the main shaft 7. These members are so spaced with respect to oneanother and their notches so located that upon the reverse rotation ofthe shaft 7, the respective notch 32a, 83a or 34a will engage the end1322 of the rock shaft and through an eccentric movement will cause therock shaft to be returned to its normal horizontal position.

7 35 represents a coil spring having one end amxed to the main shaft 7and its other end to the wall of the casing whereby upon the releaseofthe handle 26, the main shaft and connected parts will be caused toreturn to their normal positions.

In order to provide for the manual operation of this machine as aconventional filling station pump or liquid dispensing device, withoutthe insertion of coins, I employ the mechanism 36 in Fig. 1. Thismechanism comprises a relatively short screw threaded shaft 37 adaptedto operatively engage complementary threads in an opening 38 in the sidewall of the housing 1 immediately adjacent the short arm 13b of the rockshaft. The outer end of the threaded shaft 37 is provided with asuitable handle 39 and its inner end is beveled as at 40 so that whenthe handle 39 is turned in clockwise direction, the end 40 of the shaft37 will be caused to engage the end 13b of the rock shaft, and due tothe inclination of said end 40, the rock shaft will be turned on itspivot a distance corresponding to the extent of inward movement of theshaft 37.

In order to gauge the operation of the mechanism in this manner Iprovide a dial 41 which is calibrated for different coin values as shownin Fig. 4 and the shaft 37 is provided with a hand or indicator 42adapted to cooperate with said dial. It will be noted that thecalibrations on the dial are so arranged that when the shaft 37 has beenscrewed into the casing a-sufhcient distance to rock the shaft 13 to apoint where its end 13a is in line for abutment with one of the stopsl8, 19 or 20, the hand or indicator 42 on the shaft 37 will lie adjacentthe corresponding calibration on the dial. The hand 42 is pro vided withan inwardly projecting lug 13 adapted to ride in a longitudinallyextending slot 44 in the periphery of the threaded shaft 37 to causesaid hand to turn with the shaft, and in order to retain said hand inits proper position with respect to the shaft 37' I provide a coilspring or the like 45. This mechanism 36 is provided with a closure 4.6which may be locked in place by any suitable means when the device is tobe employed as a coin actuated vending machine.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modified form of my invention wherein the coinreceiving recesses in the segment 3 are arranged longitudinally of theaxis of the segment and shaft 7. In this modified form it will be'notedthat the coin is presented sidewise to the abutment 16 instead ofedgewise as in the former embodiment and in order to prevent unduefriction and to facilitate the operation of the mechanism, I provide afriction dog 47 pivoted to the segment 8 adjacent the coin recess andnormally retained in the position shown in Fig. 5 by a spring 48. Uponthe rotation of the segment 8 in the absence of a coin in either of therecesses 9, 10.or 11, the friction dog 47 would engage the abutment 16and rock on its pivot without effect, while on the other hand, if a coinis present in either of the recesses, the friction dog will engage theupper end of the coin and force the same downwardly the proper distanceto actuate the rock shaft 13.

In the operation of the machine for a coin controlled vending machine, acoin is inserted in the proper slot 2, 3 or 4 dropping by gravity to thecorresponding recess 9, 10 or 11, and upon the clockwise rotation of thehandle 26, the gear 23 will cause the counter-clockwise rotation of thegear 22 which in turn rotates the shaft 7 and segment 8 incounter-clockwise direction.

This rotation brings about the engagement of the coin with the abutment16 and through the means heretofore described, rocks the shaft '13 has,

on its pivot 14 out of alignment with the nor-' mal stop 17 and to apredetermined position in lE-il alignment with the respective stop 18,19 or 20, said rock shaft being retained in this position by thepressure spring 14a aboutits pivot 14. Simultaneously with the rotationof the-main shaft '7 and connected parts, the pumping mechanism actuatedby the pump rod 29 is thrown into operation, the extent of suchoperation being governed by the number of rotations permitted by thestop members 18, 19 or 20.. In other words, if a five-cent piece beinserted in the slot 2,.the stop member 18' would permit a predeterminednumber of rotations of the handle 26 to vend five-cents worth of liquidwhereupon the end 1312 of the rock shaft would abut the stop 18 andprevent further rotation. After vending the desired quantity ofliquid,.the coin drops from the segment into any receptacle (not shown).

Upon releasing the handle 26 after vendingi five-cents worth of liquid,the spring 35 will return the shaft '7 and connected parts to theirnormal positions, the member 32 adjacent the short arm 13b of the rockshaft causing said rock shaft to again assume its horizontal position asheretofore described.

It may be desirable to employ this mechanism as a coin controlledvending machine only after business hours and in the absence of anattendant, and during business hours to use the device as a conventionalliquid dispensing machine. In this event, the closure 46 is removed fromthe manual control mechanism 36 and the operation of the machine isidentical with that just described with the exception that instead ofinserting a coin in the required slot, the handle 39 is employed to setthe rock shaft for abutment with the proper stop. This is done byscrewing the threaded shaft 37 inwardly until the indicator 42 comesadjacent a proper calibration on the dial 41 corresponding to therespective stop on the depending arm 21. The shaft 37 is then screwedoutwardly and returned to normal position before the handle 26 isturned, the pressure spring 14a retaining the rock shaft 13 in operativeposition until the handle 26 is released. After completing the vendingof the desired quantity of liquid, the spring 35 returns the shaft 7 andconnectedparts to their normal position, the member 32, 33 or 34, as thecase may be, engaging the short arm 13b of the rock shaft and causingthe same to assume its horizontal position in the manner just describedin connection with the operation of the device by coin control. It willbe noted that by returning the shaft 37 to normal position after settingthe rock shaft, said shaft 37 is withdrawn from the path of movement ofthe short arm of the rock shaft in the return rotation of the rotaryelement 8 to' permit the members 32, 33 or 34 to operate withoutinterference in returning the rock shaft after vending.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and advantagesof my invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the artwithout further description, it being borne in mind that numerouschanges may be made in the details disclosed without departing from thespirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims. Forexample, while I have shown and described this mechanism as a liquiddispensing and vending machine, it may be employed for vending numerousarticles of manufacture with equal advantage.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A vending machine comprising a housing, a rotary shaft mounted insaid housing, means operatively connecting said shaft with a vendingdevice, means for rotating said shaft, a second shaft carrying a rotaryelement mounted in said housing and operatively connected to said firstnamed, shaft whereby the rotation of the latter will cause the rotationof the former, a lever fulcrumed on said element, means on said elementadjacent a portion of said lever for receiving a coin with its loweredge resting on said lever and its upper edge projecting diametricallybeyond said element, an abutment mounted in said housing and adapted tobe engaged by the projecting edge of the coin in said element, upon therotation of the latter to rock said lever on its fulcrum the desireddegree, and a stop member arranged in the path of rotation of said leverwhen the latter is rocked on its pivot, whereby the rotation of saidelement and in turn the operation of said vending device are controlledby the insertion of a selected coin.

2. A vending machine comprising a housing, a rotary shaft mounted insaid housing, means operatively connecting said shaft with a vendingdevice, means for rotating said shaft, a second shaft carrying a rotaryelement mounted in said housing and operatively connected to said firstnamed shaft whereby the rotation of the latter will cause the rotationof the former, a lever fulcrumed on said element, means on said elementadjacent a portion of said lever for receiving a plurality of coins ofdifferent denominations with their lower edges resting on said lever andtheir upper edges projecting diametrically beyond said element, anabutment mounted in said housing and adapted to be engaged by theprojecting edges of the respective coins in said element, upon therotation of the latter to rock said lever on its fulcrum the desireddegree, and a plurality of stop members arranged respectively in thepaths of rotation of said lever when the latter is rocked variousdegrees on its pivot, whereby the rotation of said element and in turnthe operation of said vending device are controlled by the insertion ofa selected coin.

3. A vending machine comprising a housing, a rotary shaft mounted insaid housing, means operatively connecting said shaft with a vendingdevice, means for rotating said shaft, a second shaft carrying a rotaryelement mounted in said housing and operatively connected to said firstnamed shaft whereby the rotation of the latter will cause the rotationof the former, a lever fulcrumed on said element, means for rocking saidlever on its fulcrum varying degrees, and a plurality of stop membersarranged respectively in the paths of rotation of said lever when thelatter is rocked varying degrees on its pivot, whereby the rotation ofsaid element and in turn the operation of said vending device arecontrolled by the relative position of said lever.

4. A vending machine comprising a housing, a rotary shaft mounted insaid housing, means operatively connecting said shaft with a vendingdevice, means for rotating said shaft, a second shaft carrying a rotaryelement mounted in said housing and operatively connected to said firstnamed shaft whereby the rotation of the latter will cause the rotationof the former, a lever fulcrumed on said element, means for rocking saidlever on its fulcrum varying degrees, a plurality of stop membersarranged respectively in the paths of rotation of said lever when thelatter is rocked varying degrees on its pivot, whereby the rotation ofsaid element and in turn the operation of said vending device arecontrolled by the relative position of said lever, and means forreturning said lever to its normal position.

5. A vending machine comprising a housing, a rotary shaft mounted insaid housing, means operatively connecting said shaft with a vendingdevice, means for rotating said shaft, a rotary element mounted in saidhousing and operatively connected to said shaft whereby the rotation ofthe latter will cause the rotation of the former, a lever fulcrurned onsaid element, means for rocking said lever on its fulcrum varyingdegrees, a plurality of stop members arranged respectively in the pathsof rotation of said lever when the latter is rocked varying degrees onits pivot, whereby the rotation of said element and in turn theoperation of said vending device are controlled by the relative positionof said lever, means for retaining said lever in its respectiveoperative position, and means for returning the same to its normalposition.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the means for rocking saidlever is coin com trolled.

'7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the means for rocking saidlever is manually controlled. I

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said means for rocking saidlever comprises a threaded shaft arranged longitudinally adjacent oneend of said lever, the end of said shaft adjacent said lever beingtapered and adapted to engage the end of said lever upon being rotated,and means for rotating said shaft.

9. Apparatus as claimedin claim 5 wherein said means for rocking saidlever comprises a threaded shaft arranged longitudinally adjacent oneend of said lever, the end of said shaft adjacent said lever beingtapered and adapted to engage the end of said lever upon being rotated,means for rotating said shaft, and an indicator cooperating with saidthreaded shaft to indicate the degree through which said lever isrocked.

CHARLES WALKER.

